5 Stories You Missed When That Bombshell Book On Trump's White House Dropped

North and South Korea made a plan to talk, despite Trump's tweets.

A lot of news happened this week, and if you’ve spent the past few days following the drama around journalist Michael Wolff’s new book on the Trump White House, you might have missed some of it. But never fear: We’ve got you.

1. Trump cut aid to Pakistan, and threatened aid to Palestinians

Lucas Jackson / Reuters
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley speaks at the U.N. headquarters in New York, Jan. 2, 2018.

On Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley announced that the U.S. would be cutting $255 million in aid to Pakistan, a key ally in the fight against terrorism. Haley told reporters the U.S. expected more support from Pakistan in counterterrorism.

Later that day, Trump took to Twitter to threaten aid to Palestinians, blaming Palestinians’ reluctance to negotiate a peace treaty with Israel. This was almost exactly a month after Trump roiled the peace deals himself by officially recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and saying the U.S. would move its embassy there, provoking anger among Palestinians and disappointment from U.S. allies.

“It’s not only Pakistan that we pay billions of dollars to for nothing,” Trump tweeted Tuesday. “We pay the Palestinians HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect.”

It's not only Pakistan that we pay billions of dollars to for nothing, but also many other countries, and others. As an example, we pay the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. They don’t even want to negotiate a long overdue...

“I have already asked to immediately meet with Secretary Zinke to discuss the concerns I have with this plan and the crucial need to remove Florida from consideration,” Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R), a close Trump ally, said in a statement Thursday. “My top priority is to ensure that Florida’s natural resources are protected.”

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a change in policy on Thursday, allowing the nation’s top federal prosecutors to decide how to handle marijuana cases in states where the drug has been legalized. Because federal law still regards marijuana as illegal, the decision spread uncertainty in the nascent legal marijuana industries in states like Colorado and California.

This reported action directly contradicts what Attorney General Sessions told me prior to his confirmation. With no prior notice to Congress, the Justice Department has trampled on the will of the voters in CO and other states.

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the “Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.” Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!

“Does anybody really believe that talks and dialogue would be going on between North and South Korea right now if I wasn’t firm, strong and willing to commit our total ‘might’ against the North,” the president tweeted. “Fools, but talks are a good thing!”

5. An earthquake shook California’s Bay Area residents awake

Early Thursday morning, an earthquake centered near Berkeley, California, shook many Bay Area residents awake. The 4.4-magnitude quake at 2:39 a.m. local time affected an estimated 9.8 million people around the San Francisco Bay, with some reporting feeling shakes for up to 10 seconds ― though no significant damage was reported as a result of the quake.

Residents took to Twitter in the middle of the night to check if others felt it too:

I can’t remember the last time an #earthquake woke me from a deep sleep, which means it had to be 4+ and on the Hayward fault.No damage, no car alarms, no dogs barking, kids still asleep. Just a quick shake, rattle and roll